Washington Update: Fiscal Year 2018 Deliberations

The potential for a government shut down draws closer as the current continuing resolution for fiscal year 2018 runs out on Friday. At issue are several points of contention: how to resolve the fate of 700,000 DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) recipients and increasing defense budget levels. Various splits within the Republican party and between the Republicans and Democrats are making compromise difficult.

The budget process overall is in a state of disarray. In theory, the federal budget for this year would’ve been decided on in October of 2017. As debate continues around passing another continuing resolution or passing an omnibus spending bill for FY18, we draw closer and closer to the regularly scheduled start of next fiscal year’s appropriation’s discussions.

Tomorrow, Wednesday, January 17, at 10 a.m. the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works holds another hearing on the Water Resources Development Act. This hearing follows a hearing last week that took testimony from non-federal witnesses. This week’s panel will hear from federal agency witnesses, including from Ryan Fisher, Acting Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works), U.S. Department of the Army.